Something Switched

I was listening to some people talk about anime and something switched. They were riffing on different shows—Girls und Panzer, Sword Art Online, Space Brothers—and hearing them get excited about it made me remember why this stuff matters. Anime does something. The earnest and ridiculous at the same time, all that unreal intensity you can’t find anywhere else.

So I downloaded three series for a flight coming up. SAO because you have to know what the argument’s about at this point. Girls und Panzer because it has no right to work—tank battles and cute girls and somehow it just does. Space Brothers because I heard it’s actually good and also slow, which is what you want when you’re stuck in a seat for hours.

There’s that moment when you realize you’ve been waiting to get interested in something again. Not hunting for it, just waiting. Someone mentions a show and suddenly you’re downloading at midnight like you’re a kid again.